Philosophy

According to Socrates, the unexamined life is not worth living. As a philosophy major you’ll exercise your intellectual imagination by questioning everyday assumptions, considering alternative ways of thinking about the world, and examining some of life’s most difficult questions.

Students in the Philosophy Department study the history of philosophy as well as the major areas of the field—logic, epistemology and metaphysics, values (ethics, aesthetics, political philosophy), and both Western and non-Western philosophies. Students choose from a wide variety of courses—moral theory, philosophy of race, global justice—that cultivate skills in effective writing, close reading, clear reasoning, and creative thinking. Professors work with students to assess the logical structure of arguments and to raise critical questions about others’ views. As a result, students will reconstruct these viewpoints, offer critiques, and argue their own ideas.

Philosophy is ideal preparation for lifelong learning and an enriched intellectual, political, and social existence. Graduates are prepared for a variety of careers that require clear and concise communication skills and analytic and critical abilities.